Family-Friendly Roanoke Valley Events in November 2026

All Month: Free Family Fun at Your Local Library

Roanoke Public Libraries and Botetourt County Libraries | Free

Before you spend a dime this month, check the library calendars. Our Roanoke and Botetourt branches run free kids' programs almost every day, and a few of them are wonderfully odd.

Reading Paw-Trol brings therapy dogs to Raleigh Court Library on Nov. 5, so reluctant readers get a furry, judgment-free audience. Talk With Turkeys storytimes come to Melrose Library on Nov. 10 and Raleigh Court on Nov. 12, and yes, the library has brought in live turkeys before. Toddlers can try Ballet and Books with the Roanoke Ballet at Belmont Library on Monday, Nov. 16, at 2:30 p.m.

Up in Botetourt, Fincastle Library's Festive Food Fun on Nov. 4 and 18 has kids ages 6 to 11 cooking seasonal treats. Registration is required. Check times on the Roanoke Public Libraries events calendar and the Botetourt County Libraries site.

November 6: Rail Yard Dawgs Stick It to Cancer Night

Berglund Center | Roanoke

7:05 p.m. | Tickets generally $15 to $30

The Rail Yard Dawgs host the Pensacola Ice Flyers for Stick It to Cancer Night, sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The night before, Thursday, Nov. 5, fans can paint the ice at Berglund Center with names and messages for loved ones touched by cancer. The team's specialty jerseys are auctioned off after the game, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

If your kids have never been to a hockey game, this is a good first one. The crowd is loud, the music doesn't stop, and little ones can get right up to the glass. Can't make Friday? The Dawgs play Pensacola again Saturday, Nov. 7, for Small Dawg Races night. Berglund parking fills up, so leave early.

November 7: The Busiest Saturday of the Month

Run for Donuts 5K and Fun Run | Sherwood Memorial Park, Salem

9 a.m. start | Registration about $15 to $30

Run, jog or walk the paths at Sherwood Memorial Park and finish with a donut. The race benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia, strollers are welcome, and there's a costume contest for anyone who shows up in sprinkles. Park along Lynchburg Turnpike or at the Salem YMCA. Register on the Run for Donuts registration page.

Brambleton Craft Show | Brambleton Recreation Center, Roanoke County

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Free admission

This long-running Roanoke County craft show fills the Brambleton Center at 3738 Brambleton Ave. SW with pottery, handspun yarn, crochet, wreaths and jewelry. Hand your kids a few dollars of their own and let them choose gifts for grandparents and teachers. Details are on the Brambleton Center Craft Show page.

Star City StrongFest | Riverdale, Roanoke

Starts at 10 a.m. | Free

StrongFest moved from its old September spot in Elmwood Park to November at Riverdale, 946 River Ave. SE, and it's still free. Kids head for the StrongKidz Zone, games and prizes, while the 11th annual Star City Strongman competition goes on in the middle of it all. Few 9-year-olds can resist watching grown-ups flip tires. More at Star City StrongFest.

Michaels x Hallmark Holiday Workshop | Roanoke-area Michaels stores

10 a.m. to noon | Free

Michaels and Hallmark are hosting a free in-store workshop where kids 6 and up make a dimensional paper ornament inspired by Hallmark's archives. Every Michaels location is participating, so pick the store closest to you. More holiday workshops follow through November and December on the Michaels x Hallmark workshop page.

Smith Mountain Lake Chili Festival | Bridgewater Plaza, Moneta

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Gate admission, roughly $5 to $10

About an hour from downtown Roanoke, cooking teams go all out with costumes and themed booths, and everyone votes for People's Choice and Showmanship. One tip for hungry kids: these are tastings, not full bowls, so plan lunch at one of the Bridgewater Plaza restaurants. Bring cash for vendors.

Flannel Fest | The Village Grill, Grandin Village

Starts at 5 p.m. | About $10, or free with a new child's winter coat

Live music from Mad Iguanas and Empty Bottles at 1802 Memorial Ave. SW, plus a coat drive for kids who need one this winter. It's a restaurant-and-bar evening, so it fits families with older kids best. Letting your kids pick out the donated coat makes the giving part real.

November 7 and 8: Roanoke Railway Expo

Virginia Museum of Transportation | Downtown Roanoke

Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Low-cost admission, around $5 to $10

For the first time in more than 20 years, the Virginia Museum of Transportation and the Norfolk and Western Historical Society are bringing a full railway expo back to 303 Norfolk Ave. SW. Expect model railroad vendors in every gauge, cab tours, food trucks, raffles and an open house at the N and W Historical Society archives. Proceeds support the 611 Steam Program, which keeps Roanoke's famous Class J steam locomotive running.

Train-obsessed preschoolers, this is your weekend. So is any grandparent who remembers when the railroad shops ran the town. Details on the Roanoke Railway Expo listing.

November 8: Music on the Mountain

Mill Mountain Discovery Center | Roanoke

5 to 7 p.m. | Free

Roanoke Parks and Recreation brings Freak Rangers to the lawn at the Discovery Center, with a food truck plus crafts and activities for kids. It gets dark and cold fast up there in November, so pack jackets and a blanket, and stop at the Roanoke Star overlook on the way down. Series info is on Play Roanoke's Music on the Mountain page.

November 13: Stuffy Sleepover at the Taubman

Taubman Museum of Art | Downtown Roanoke

4:30 to 6:30 p.m. | About $10 to $15 per child; adults free

Kids bring their favorite stuffed animal for an evening of bedtime-themed crafts, then, if they're brave, leave their fuzzy friend behind for a night at the museum. At pickup the next day, families get photos of what the stuffies got up to after hours. Registration is required, and these fill up.

November 14: Happy 75th Birthday, Taubman Museum

Taubman Museum of Art | Downtown Roanoke

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Free

The Taubman has spent all of 2026 marking its 75th anniversary, and this Family and Friends Birthday Party is the one made for kids. General admission is always free, so stay after and let the little ones loose in Art Venture, the museum's hands-on space. Check the Taubman Museum of Art.

November 20: Kids' Holiday Craft Market With the Roanoke Gri-NCH

Historic Roanoke City Market | Downtown Roanoke

Evening | Free

Downtown Roanoke Inc. and Savvy Events set up a holiday craft market on the City Market, and the Roanoke Gri-NCH turns up to grump around Market Square and pose for photos. Photos with him are free, though donations are welcome. The market doubles as a drive for Roanoke Toys for Tots, so bring a new, unwrapped toy and let your kids hand it over. Charge your phone first.

November 21: Grandin Parade and Illuminights

Grandin Village Holiday Children's Parade | Historic Grandin Village

11 a.m. | Free

For a lot of Roanoke families, the holidays officially start on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, when schools, marching bands, scout troops and local businesses parade down Grandin Road. The route starts at Christ Lutheran Church at Grandin Road and Brandon Avenue and winds through the village toward Mick or Mack. Curb spots go early, and Pop's Ice Cream and Soda Bar is right there when it's over.

Illuminights | Explore Park, Roanoke County

Select nights Nov. 21 to Jan. 3 | Timed advance tickets only, roughly $8 to $20 per person

More than 725,000 lights line a half-mile wooded trail, with an artisan market, marshmallows over the campfire and Santa on select nights. Tickets went on sale Nov. 1 and there are no walk-ups. It's rain or shine and parking is limited, so carpool if you can, dress the kids warmly and pick a stroller that handles a dirt trail. Leashed dogs are welcome. Buy tickets on the Illuminights page from Roanoke County Parks.

November 26: Thanksgiving Traditions

Rescue Mission of Roanoke Drumstick Dash | Downtown Roanoke

Thanksgiving morning, around 9 a.m. | Registration required

Before the turkey goes in, thousands of Roanoke Valley runners, walkers and stroller-pushers fill downtown for the Drumstick Dash, a 5K run and family walk. It's the Rescue Mission's biggest fundraiser and pays for the meals it serves all year. Can't be there in person? A virtual option runs all month. Sign up on the Drumstick Dash registration page.

Land of Lights | Franklin County Recreation Park, Rocky Mount

Typically opens Thanksgiving week, 5 to 9 p.m. nightly | Free, donations welcome

Not ready for a long walk in the cold at Illuminights? About 40 minutes south of downtown Roanoke, Franklin County's free drive-through display at 2150 Sontag Road lets you loop past the lights with the heat on and the music on the radio. It's the easy answer for babies, toddlers and anyone already in pajamas.

Looking Ahead: Stories and Songs With Santa

The Taubman's Stories and Songs with Santa, the successor to the old Fantasyland, sold out every session last season. Keep an eye on the museum's site for 2026 dates and grab tickets the day they post.

Know about a school craft fair, church supper or neighborhood event we missed? Tell us, and we'll add it to the Family Fun calendar.

Event dates, times, prices and availability can change. Check with organizers before heading out.